


Nightmares

by MaurLin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Identity Reveal, Kissing, Lots of kissing, Original Akuma, Original Character(s), Post Sandboy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-11-15 02:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20858360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaurLin/pseuds/MaurLin
Summary: A new akuma stalks the streets of Paris- and Ladybug is one of its victims.Halloween here we come!





	1. Nightmare Rising

**Author's Note:**

> All characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc. Except the one I made up.

When a new akumatized villain showed up in Paris, word generally got around fast. Everyone knew to report anything odd they saw immediately. However, this one was different- it took a couple of days to find out what was really wrong in the streets of the City of Light.

All anyone knew was that there were people being brought to the hospital in strange comas. They seemed to be in the throes of a nightmare, yet nothing the doctors did could awaken them. A few of them had been like that for two days; the rest trickled in over the course of the second day. By nightfall, there were a dozen known victims, and Parisians were being asked to check on their friends and neighbors. Half the victims were found in their homes, the other half in a variety of locations, but all had been alone when they were affected.

And all of the sported the same glittering silver tattoo on their skin. Some on their faces, some on their hands or arms- but all the same. It looked like a circle containing a spiderweb, or a North American dreamcatcher, about three centimeters in diameter.

Finally, in a lucky break, someone spotted a cloaked figure that seemed to be made of shadow leaving the house of the latest victim. A young man; a student at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, who was renting a room in the house and had been alone while the homeowners vacationed in the Canary Islands. His girlfriend was outside, and saw the shadowy form leaving the building; she had the presence of mind to hide, take a photo on her phone, and rush in to check on her boyfriend as soon as the shadow turned the corner.

A closer look at the photo, although not the best picture quality, proved they had their villain. The same silver symbol graced the gauntlet on the right hand.

The photo went out over the news within the hour, for everyone to be on the lookout for the villain the newscaster dubbed ‘the Nightmare’. And Adrien called for his transformation, and left the mansion to hunt it down.

  
  


Cat Noir bounded over the rooftops, avoiding the corners where the shadows lay thick even in early evening in this bright city. If this villain was the color of blackness, the last thing he wanted was to be ambushed.

Then again, he reflected, he was at a better advantage than Ladybug tonight. He was nearly as invisible in the dark as the thing he hunted, and he had cat-sight to help. Ladybug would stand out like a beacon in her bright red, polka-dotted outfit, and had only ordinary vision. Cat Noir only hoped the villain didn’t have night sight too.

Even with his kitty-slit eyes, though, Ladybug found the enemy before he did. Cat Noir heard the sound of Ladybug’s yoyo zinging through the air a few blocks to the right of him, and changed direction to follow the noise. Then he heard a soft cry, and hurried his steps.

He arrived at the open plaza in front of the Louvre, to a sight that made his heart drop to the bottom of his chest. Ladybug was down on the ground, curled up in a ball with her eyes closed, shaking. The villain (whoever it was; Cat Noir couldn’t tell if it was a female or male) was removing its right forefinger from Ladybug’s cheek, and he could see a silvery glint reflecting the streetlights. The Nightmare grabbed Ladybug by the arm and pulled her upright; she offered no resistance as she dangled, shivering, in the viselike grip. The gauntlet on the other hand reached for Ladybug’s ear.

Cat Noir had leapt silently to the top of the closest streetlamp. Now he extended his staff to knock the villain’s hand holding Ladybug hard. There was an exclamation of pain as the evil shadow dropped Ladybug’s arm, but the other glove seized the red-suited heroine around the waist as she collapsed.

The Nightmare jumped to the top of the Louvre’s glass pyramid.  _ “better not come too close, kitty. the bug might get dropped, and she can’t fly, now, can she? she’ll fall to her doom, and you wouldn’t want that, right?”  _ The voice seemed to come from all around, instead of just in front of Cat Noir; he still couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman speaking.

He growled, and it laughed softly, and continued in a mocking tone,  _ “what will the pretty kitty do? save the bug, or stop the nightmare?” _ It dangled Ladybug by the arm again, swinging her back and forth like a pendulum. The Nightmare’s voice turned wheedling.  _ “just give up your miraculous, and you can have her back.” _

Cat Noir didn’t dignify that with a reply. He was moving cautiously and slowly, trying to get into a better position to force the Nightmare to drop Ladybug where he could catch her. The more it talked, the less it would notice what he was doing.

Its voice hardened, as it seemed to realize he wasn’t going to give up. _ “not that you can save her now. she’s trapped in her own nightmare, like the others who hurt me. no one will escape, not the bug, not the others, not even-“ _

The voice stopped with a whoosh as Cat Noir extended his staff again, catching the Nightmare in the midsection and lifting it higher than the top of the pyramid. The Nightmare dropped Ladybug as it flew off the end of the staff; she hit the glass with a thud and slid uncontrollably down the side. Cat Noir was ready for that, and leaped for her, catching her halfway down and sliding to the bottom with her in his arms.

The Nightmare landed hard on a rooftop nearby; it picked itself up, ran to the edge of the building, and looked around. But Cat Noir and his burden were already gone.

  
  


Cat Noir didn’t pause until he could no longer hear the screeching of the Nightmare- and with his cat hearing, that was quite a distance away. He stopped in an alley to check Ladybug over, and think about what to do.

He sank into a cross- legged posture, cradling Ladybug in his lap and calling her name. She was unconscious, trembling all over as her eyes flickered back and forth under her closed eyelids. She moaned softly, and whimpered, as tears leaked out one by one to course down her cheek. The silver tattoo below the mask on the right side of her face glittered in the dim light.

Cat Noir felt helpless. Whatever dream state the Nightmare produced, it was clearly torture to whoever had to endure it. In that moment, he would have given anything to trade places with his Lady. Not only was she the only one who could catch the akuma, but the sight of her in terror twisted his gut into knots and brought a lump to his throat.

He refused to think that there might not be a way to wake her; there had to be something he could do. He had asked Ladybug once, why there always seemed to be a weakness in every villain they fought. Ladybug had laughed that light laugh he loved so much, and said it was probably because the universe had to be in balance. For every way in, there had to be a way out, and for every strength, a weakness. So there was a way to wake those who were sleeping, if only he could find it. Soon.

  
  


As a precaution, Cat Noir slipped into the Metro station, and went down the tunnel to a service alcove. At this time of night, there were few to see, and those who might have seen them were looking the other way, watching for the train, while the opposite platform was empty.

Good. The noise of the trains passing would disguise anything the Nightmare could hear, if it followed them somehow. Cat Noir didn’t know how long this would take, and he didn’t want to chance interruptions.

He had toyed with the idea of finding the Guardian and getting him to help, but rejected it for a couple of reasons. First, that would mean detransforming long enough to ask Plagg where to find the Guardian. Cat Noir didn’t want to leave Ladybug unprotected in her dream state, no matter how short the time- there was no telling if the Nightmare could track either of them. Second, Ladybug didn’t want him to reveal his identity; he had no idea how aware she was, and didn’t want to go against her wishes if she could at all sense what was going on around her. And third, carrying an unconscious Ladybug through Paris was bound to attract notice, and all of it the wrong kind. It had been hard enough to get her here without being seen, and he wouldn’t just leave her somewhere for the Nightmare or anyone else to find, he just wouldn’t.

Splashing some water from a fountain on Ladybug hadn’t worked, and now he was trying everything he had ever heard of to get someone to wake up. Shaking her (gently), yelling in her ear; he even tried a paramedic’s technique of pinching her earlobe above the earring. Absolutely nothing.

And Ladybug was getting worse, Cat Noir could tell. Although her shivering had eased off, and she wasn’t crying or moaning as much, she seemed even further from waking up than when he’d started. Ladybug was sinking into a never-ending sleep full of fear; the only things moving about her were her heartbeat fluttering against his fingertips as he checked her pulse, her ragged breathing, and the motion of her eyes under the lids.

Cat Noir dropped his head in despair. There  _ had _ to be something!

Wait. Hadn’t there been a time Ladybug was trying to wake  _ him _ from an unthinking state, during the Dark Cupid incident? She had kissed him- although he didn’t remember it, there were photographs to prove it- and it had worked.

Except it couldn’t be that simple. Could it?

And would she forgive him when she found out? Really, that was his biggest fear about trying that method. Plus, he didn’t want to kiss his Lady this way- he’d rather it was like the other photo he didn’t remember happening, during the memory loss Oblivio had caused. That had at least looked like the kiss was mutual.

Cat Noir decided that, whether or not Ladybug forgave him, he had to try anything in his power. He braced himself (in case she woke up mad), and brushed her lips with his.

As it turned out, he didn’t have to worry. There was no response from Ladybug at all.

He could have screamed in frustration and despair. He was fresh out of ideas, and the only hope for defeating the Nightmare and saving the city lay unmoving in his arms. Cat Noir clutched Ladybug to his chest, rocking her, begging her to wake up, and holding her head so that her cheek rested against his. He turned his head to kiss her again, this time on the cheek, and it landed right on top of the strange silver-web tattoo.

And suddenly the world went away, and Cat Noir was falling.


	2. Nightmare Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat Noir finds himself on the streets of Paris- but a Paris changed out of all recognition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

Cat Noir landed hard on the pavement, knocking the breath out of him. He lay there, stunned, for a second before rolling onto his back and staring up at the sky.

Slowly, his brain started working again. _What happened?_ he thought. _I was in the Metro with Ladybug, she was unconscious, I couldn’t wake her- and now I’m outside, and Ladybug’s not here-_ That last thought had Cat Noir sitting bolt upright in a heartbeat.

Which turned out to be a mistake, as the world spun slightly around him. He squinched his eyes shut for a second, until he felt more steady, then opened them again.

Something was wrong. Cat Noir looked at himself. He didn’t look the same; he was still wearing Cat Noir’s boots, gloves, staff and belt, but…the rest of his clothes were Adrien’s. Jeans, black striped tshirt, his overshirt-

Adrien tried to find a window or mirror nearby. A cracked pane across the street gave him the answer he didn’t want to see- he still had Cat Noir’s ears, but his hairstyle was Adrien’s, and he wasn’t wearing a mask. He was clearly recognizable. He shivered, as a slight breeze with an odd scent blew down the street.

Adrien looked around at the street, trying to orient himself. “Plagg?” he called tentatively. Maybe his kwami could explain what was going on.

No answer. Adrien was on his own.

He tried to still his near-panic. Ladybug was missing, so was Plagg, and he was a strange amalgam of both his selves. Panic wouldn’t help anything. If all else failed, he still had a weapon and cat hearing; he could fight his way out of a problem if he had to, and could probably avoid it completely if he heard it coming.

Looking around, he realized the landscape appeared just as wrong as the rest of his situation. It was Paris- but a Paris in ruins. Most of the surrounding buildings had crazed cracks running through them, or were collapsed in on themselves. And there were no people anywhere. The sky glowed a malevolent, cloudy orange-gray; it was impossible to tell what time it was.

Closing his eyes, he could hear voices in the distance. Maybe if he walked a bit, he would find someone who could explain. He picked a direction and started moving.

Adrien almost wished he hadn’t moved, when he found the first body.

He had been closer to the streets he knew than he thought. The broken buildings had fooled Adrien into thinking that he was in an unfamiliar part of Paris, but he found the boulangerie Marinette’s parents owned only a few streets away. On the way, he had found strange graffiti on a few walls left standing, reading “**Ladybug, ou etiez-vous?”** in bright red and black spray paint. That was pretty horrible-that someone felt the need to ask Ladybug where she had been- it implied that she hadn’t been here for the destruction, and the people who were left blamed her for it.

The weird part about that was, why weren’t they blaming him too? Surely Cat Noir hadn’t been around either…

At the boulangerie, though, he found the next horror. Lying in the rubble of the prosperous shop was Marinette’s mother, dead. Adrien felt like he had been hit with a hammer to the gut- Mrs. Dupain-Cheng had always been kind to him, both as Adrien and Cat Noir.

Adrien looked up. The apartment above was half-collapsed; Marinette’s balcony no longer existed. He closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer that Marinette had been somewhere else when the worst happened. _Whatever that was._

Suddenly he heard a broken sobbing coming from an alley on the other side of the park. Adrien’s instinct to help kicked in, and he went in search of the source of the noise.

He found it halfway down the alley. Whoever it was, it was the first living person Adrien had seen since coming to this apocalypse. The person- a girl, he was sure- was huddled on the ground of the alley, clutching a stained sheet around her like a shroud. And she wasn’t alone. There were a half-dozen ragged, angry-looking people facing the shrouded figure.

Their leader, a dirty blonde who might have been pretty once, addressed the figure on the ground. “And why shouldn’t we turn you over to Hawkmoth?” She waved around at the broken city. “This is what happened when we counted on you to save us!”

The blonde sounded familiar. Adrien realized with a gasp that it was Chloe- but a Chloe he had never seen before. This one had her hair down and straggling in her face; her clothes were filthy and torn around the edges, and she was even thinner than the Chloe Adrien knew. But the dark blue eyes blazed with an intensity of contempt and betrayal that shocked Adrien more than how she looked.

Chloe continued, advancing on the girl in the sheet. “At least turning you in might get him to leave us alone.”

“No,” sobbed the girl on the ground- Adrien realized with a start that it had to be Ladybug. “Please.” There was a roll of thunder, and the heavy orange-gray overcast got darker.

Chloe moved to grab the girl, but a polka-dotted arm threw a handful of rubble into Chloe’s face, and the shrouded figure bolted to its feet and ran. The small mob behind Chloe began to chase her, but Adrien saw an opportunity to delay them long enough for Ladybug to get away. He used his staff to lever a dumpster across the alley, blocking the mob.

Behind him he could hear Chloe shout, “He’ll find you anyway, Ladybug! You’re powerless now; you can’t stop him!”

Adrien rounded on Chloe, who was climbing over the dumpster. “What are you doing, Chloe? What happened?” But she paid no attention at all to Adrien; he might as well have been talking to the wall. He tried grabbing Chloe’s wrist-

Except he couldn’t get a grip- Chloe’s arm slid through his hand like it was water. She was focused entirely on her crew. “Find Ladybug! She can’t get away!”

The shrouded figure ducked into another alley before Chloe could see. Adrien decided that following Ladybug was more important than trying to get answers out of a ghost he couldn’t touch. Chloe’s angry voice faded in the distance as Adrien tried to keep Ladybug in sight, but she was fast. She was out of sight in less than a minute, and although he could follow the sound of her sobbing for a while longer, eventually he lost her trail.

After wandering around for a few minutes (maybe longer- time didn’t seem to pass in any way he could measure here), Adrien found himself outside the school he attended. It looked mostly sound; one wall had half-collapsed, and many of the windows were broken, but the rest looked solid enough. Adrien used his staff again, to vault to the roof; he hoped a view from above would give him a better idea of what was going on.

He got to the roof just in time; he saw a group of akumatized people, led by Hawkmoth, come around the corner. Adrien recognized Lady Wifi and Weredad in the group, and the Nightmare stood at Hawkmoth’s left shoulder. He ducked down, peeking over the edge of the roof at the motley clump of villains.

Hawkmoth appeared to be issuing orders to the akumatized people. “Find Ladybug and Cat Noir. I need their miraculouses; if you have to tear Paris to the ground, do it!” He stalked off towards the park, while the minions ran off in various directions. Soon the only one left was the Nightmare, who stood stock-still for a minute. Adrien wondered what it was waiting for.

A voice issued out of nowhere. _“you can’t hide, ladybug. this is the world you made; you’re responsible for all of this. i will find you eventually, and give you to hawkmoth, and both he and i will get what we want…”_ A wail of despair was the only answer the voice got, and it laughed as thunder rumbled in the clouds. It surveyed the ground before moving on, following Hawkmoth’s trail.

Adrien saw a shrouded form run from the opposite side of the school and disappear through the doors. So Ladybug was close enough to hear all that. He shook his head and sat cross-legged on the rooftop; he had to think…

_This is the strangest place. It can’t be real._ Adrien thought. A broken Paris, the dead left behind, others akumatized, a street gang led by Chloe (of all people)- and she spoke of turning Ladybug over to Hawkmoth. Adrien ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make sense of it all. _This is a nightmare._

Then it hit him like a lightning bolt-_Wait- this IS a nightmare- Ladybug's nightmare!_ Adrien remembered the encounter with Sandboy, where her powers had been taken from her. Everything around him was the natural result of Ladybug losing her powers- Hawkmoth in a position to take over an annihilated city, people dead, akumatized, or reduced to an existence on the edge, and Ladybug unable to do anything either to stop it or to fix it.

It also explained why he couldn’t touch or speak to Chloe; she would be just a figment of Ladybug’s dream. Probably the only real people here were himself and Ladybug- possibly the Nightmare too, though Adrien wasn’t ready to test that.

That was also why his powers were intact, even though he looked more like Adrien than Cat Noir. This wasn’t his nightmare. On the other hand, since this wasn’t his mind, he doubted he had any control over what he could and couldn’t do here.

_But if this is Ladybug’s mind, she must have some control over it!_ Her belief had to be the key- what she believed was real became real here. He had to find her, and convince her that this was all a dream. _If she can believe in her own strength, she could beat this!_ Adrien was elated- this might be the way to get Ladybug to wake up- now all he had to do was find her.

He dropped into the courtyard of the school from the roof as rain began to fall and more thunder sounded. Adrien looked up; there were lightning flashes in the clouds, but none coming down to the ground that he could see. He tried to listen past the thunder. Was that crying he heard coming from what would have been Ms. Bustier’s classroom, where the wall had been taken out? He headed up the stairs in that direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And when he sees her, what else will he find? Maybe Ladybug's subconscious knows more than it lets on...
> 
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos!


	3. Griefstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finds what he's looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

As he stood in the door of the room, he saw the girl he had been chasing. Her back was to the door, with her shroud discarded on the floor of the room; she was pulling rubble off a pile while she sobbed hysterically. At first glance, she looked as odd as he did; she had Ladybug’s hairstyle and ribbons, her yoyo at her hip, and her feet and hands were covered in red with black polka dots. But she was wearing pink jean capris and a black jacket.

Adrien was stunned, frozen in place. He knew someone who wore that outfit. If this was Ladybug- then that meant this was also-

The girl was uncovering a body. A familiar one, dressed in black, with blond hair, cat ears and a black mask. She seemed to run out of energy after uncovering the top half, and started talking to the body, cradling the right hand of the dead figure to her chest.

“I’m so sorry, Cat Noir. I should’ve been here.” She bowed her head over the figure in the rubble, still crying, brushing the body’s hair away from the mask. “I-I have to take your miraculous back. I can’t leave it here for Hawkmoth to find. Please- wherever you are- forgive me…” She pressed the hand to her lips, and set it down before removing the ring. A coruscating green energy surrounded the figure, and now the body in the rubble was a blond boy with a black striped tshirt and white overshirt.

The girl gasped, then began to scream through her tears. “No, no,  _ Adrien, NO!!” _

Lightning began to strike nearby; the flashes and thunder nearly (but didn’t) drown out her screams. The school shook as at least one bolt landed on the roof, sending broken bits of ceiling falling into the room. Adrien finally broke through his paralysis and ran to the girl’s side as wind and rain howled through the broken wall. He picked her up, grabbed her around the shoulders and turned her face towards him. She fought him with hysterical strength; he doubted she could see him through her tearing eyes.

All Adrien could do was hold on and try to talk sense into her. “Ladybug- Marinette- that’s not me! I’m not dead; I’m right here! It’s okay!” He held her to his chest, and rocked her back and forth like a child, repeating “It’s not me, I’m okay” in her ear over and over again as her tears and struggling wound down. The crazy storm seemed to lessen in intensity as she did.

Finally she hiccupped and stopped trying to get free. The rain and wind stopped; the cannonade of thunder had stopped a minute before.

Marinette looked up into Adrien’s face for the first time since he had come into the room. “A-Adrien? But-“ She looked lost for a moment, then intelligence flooded back into her face. “You’re here? But- how?”

Adrien smiled tiredly. “Long story.”

“But- if that’s not you, then who is it?” Marinette looked over at the body in the rubble, which had inexplicably vanished. “Where did he go?” She opened her hand, and the black cat miraculous in it had vanished too. Marinette turned back to Adrien, and his appearance finally registered in her eyes. She blinked. “You look weird.”

Adrien had to laugh a little at her tactlessness. “No weirder than you look right now, Bugaboo.”

Marinette looked down at herself, and flushed. “I didn’t notice…I’ve just been chased ever since I got here. What happened?”

“I’d kind of like to know that, too.” Adrien paused. “What’s the last thing you remember? Before coming to this crazy place?”

Marinette narrowed her eyes, thinking. “The Louvre. I was at the Louvre, and the villain- she calls herself the Nightmare -was there.” She shook her head slightly, brow furrowed, and started to pace. “We fought; I caught her with the yoyo, but she got a hand free, and-“ She stopped again. “She touched my cheek- I think- and the next thing I knew, I was here.” Marinette turned her head to look around at the room, and the silver tattoo glittered on her cheek.

Adrien reached over and touched the tattoo. “She left her mark on you.” He leaned against Ms. Bustier’s desk. “The Nightmare’s a girl? I couldn’t tell.”

“I couldn’t either, but Hawkmoth- the first time I saw him- told the others that the Nightmare succeeded in removing my powers, and that they were to obey her.” Marinette shivered, and looked at the floor. “I’m pretty sure we’re in some kind of future. Because I wasn’t here, I wasn’t able to stop any of this from happening. I can’t fix it now, because my powers are gone. And I have no idea how to get back to the past to change it.” She buried her face in her hands, and rain began to fall again outside.

Adrien put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “This isn’t the future, Marinette.”

She looked at him, shocked; the sound of rain faded. “It’s not?”

“No. Remember- the Nightmare was the reason those people are in comas; it was on the news right before your fight with her.”

Marinette shook her head. “I didn’t see the news- I was leaving the Louvre late after checking out some paintings for a history report. What’s that got to do with where- or when- we are?”

“When I got to the Louvre, the Nightmare had just touched your cheek. You-“ He swallowed. “You were-affected- the same way those people were; trapped in a nightmare, unconscious. I got you away from her, but I couldn’t wake you.” Adrien gestured to the ruined classroom. “This- this is all a dream. Your nightmare, Marinette. Nothing here is real, except in your own mind.”

_ “that isn’t true. i’m real, and you’re real, and this world is the reality you created. i pulled it from your mind, but it answers to me, and i am the only one with power here.”  _ The voice came from all around; both of them stiffened. Adrien looked around the room, and saw the Nightmare standing on top of the pile of rubble that was the collapsed wall.

Marinette moaned in fear beside him, hand over her mouth. He caught her by the shoulders with one arm as a cold wind began to blow, and hissed in her ear, “She’s lying. This is  your mind, and  you’re the only one with any power here. Don’t believe her, don’t believe in her; she’ll lose all her power!” Adrien tightened his hug. “Remember the storm? Feel the wind? They obey  your  emotions; you’re doing that, not her!” Adrien willed all his belief in Marinette into his voice. ”You can do this, Milady. Show her how wrong she is!”

He let Marinette go, and pulled his staff out in case she needed him. Not that he could do much to the Nightmare; if she were a part of Marinette’s dream, she’d be as untouchable to him as Chloe had been. But if she wasn’t- Adrien grinned to himself.

The grin faded as he looked toward Marinette. She was head down and eyes closed, standing perfectly still. The Nightmare laughed quietly, and took one step down the pile of rubble-

Only to slip on the loose bricks and tumble inelegantly to the bottom. Marinette looked up, and Adrien could read the anger in her expression. She yanked the yoyo off her hip and spun it as easily as Ladybug ever had.

The Nightmare stood back up, and her fury was evident in her voice.  _ “do you think your powers exist just because you can spin a child’s toy?” _

“No,” Marinette replied flatly. “My powers exist because they are mine. Just. Like. My. Mind.” Marinette- Ladybug- threw the yoyo at the Nightmare, and it whipped around her, swiftly making her immobile. “Do you think you fell by accident? I told the broken wall to give under you.”

Ladybug got right up into the Nightmare’s- well, she didn’t have a face, but close enough. “Leave. Now.”

The Nightmare paused, for a single second, then melted into fog and shadow, fading from view. But she made one final threat before leaving.  _ “so. you may have won back your mind, ladybug, but you are still trapped here. there is no way out for you, and in the real world, i am free to do what i will. i can still find your body, and take your miraculous, and you cannot stop me…”  _ The voice faded, and was gone. A beam of sunlight broke through the cloud cover for an instant, then disappeared as the clouds shifted.

Marinette stood at the opened wall, yoyo in gloved hand. She turned to face Adrien. “Is that part true? Am I still trapped inside my own mind?”

Adrien sighed. “Looks that way right now. Nothing I tried before woke you, but I wasn’t in here with you then.”

“How did you get in here, anyway?”

_ Oh boy, _ thought Adrien.  _ Here’s where she hates me for the rest of my life. _ “Um…” he began inanely, looking away.

Marinette was quick on the uptake. “You didn’t try kissing me awake-“ Her voice got small. “Did you?”

Adrien couldn’t lie to her. “Yeah- that was the last thing I tried. Please don’t be mad, I’m sorry, I just didn’t know what else to do, and-“ He looked at the floor, heart aching. “And it didn’t work, anyway.”

He felt a hand on his arm, and looked up. Marinette was looking at him tenderly.

“I’m not mad, kitty- Adrien. I’m just sorry I missed it.” She smiled a little. “Now we both have two kisses we don’t remember!”

The joke was feeble, but her small giggle set Adrien off too; they fell into each other’s arms and laughed themselves silly. When they finally calmed down, Marinette continued. “I-I’ve- been in love with you, Adrien, for a long time. That’s why I never encouraged Cat Noir.”

Adrien sighed. “And I was just the opposite. I love Ladybug, so I tried to keep Marinette at arm’s length.” He shook his head. “What a pair we are, huh?”

Marinette smiled. “Unstoppable.” She sobered. “So if the kiss didn’t work- how  did you get here?”

“It was strange- I touched the tattoo on your cheek by accident, and ended up here.” Adrien didn’t feel the need to tell her how he had touched the tattoo.

Unless she asked. “That makes no sense- I’m sure the doctors at the hospital have touched the tattoos on their patients, and this didn’t happen to them.” Marinette looked at him, asking the question with her eyes.

Adrien scratched the back of his head nervously. “Yeah, but doctors don’t generally kiss their patients. Not even on the cheek.”

Marinette blinked. “Oh.” She blushed, and a hot gust of wind blew through the hole in the wall. Still pink in the cheeks, she continued, “Maybe- since I defeated the Nightmare in the dream world- it would work now?”

“I’m in here with you, though.” Adrien thought for a moment. He glanced at Marinette; the silver tattoo glinted on her cheek in the light. “You know, you still have the tattoo. Maybe it’s a portal that will let me out as well as in.”

He didn’t think Marinette could blush any harder, but she managed. “Okay. We can try that. But first-” She took a deep breath. “With your permission, kitty?” She came right up to him, eyes looking into his hopefully and putting her arms around his waist.

Adrien smiled, and closed his eyes as he leaned into her embrace. He could feel the sunlight breaking through the clouds in the sky, and her lips against his. The thought drifted across his mind,  _ if this is a dream- I don’t really want to wake up. _

But he knew it couldn’t last. They had a duty to Paris. However, this moment was all theirs, and he gave himself up to it.

Finally- yet too soon- they broke apart, smiling at each other. Then Adrien turned Marinette’s head with his hand slightly, and touched his lips to the silver tattoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And THEN what happened? Well, in a few days we'll see.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and kudos. They are much appreciated.
> 
> This looks like it will be a six-chapter story...maybe. Hope you look forward to the rest of it!
> 
> MaurLin


	4. Akuma End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc

Cat Noir came to himself in the Metro service alcove, wondering if he had fallen asleep and the whole thing had been a dream. He looked down at Ladybug’s quiet form in his arms. She was still asleep, eyes flickering side to side under the closed lids; the pulse under his fingers was slower, though, and she no longer seemed frightened as she took slow, even breaths.

The silver tattoo was gone, vanished from her cheek as though it had never been there.

Cat Noir felt a stab of apprehension. If this didn’t work- he had no way back to her mind to tell her. Slowly, he bent and kissed Ladybug on the lips, then pulled back.

For one terrifying second, nothing happened. Then Ladybug stirred, breathing deeply, blinking and trying to focus in the dim room. “Cat- Noir? What- where are we?” She tried to sit up; Cat Noir helped her to a place next to him, leaning against the wall.

“We’re in a service alcove in a Metro tunnel. I wanted to make it as hard as possible for the Nightmare to find us.” He checked the time on the clock in his staff’s phone- only a few minutes had passed.

Cat Noir was startled by the feel of arms around his chest. Ladybug was hugging him, hard; she was sniffling a little and burying her face in the curve of his neck.

“Thank you,” she whispered, barely audible even to his cat-hearing in the noisy tunnel. “Thank you for coming after me, for not giving up on me…” she seemed to exhaust all the words she could say, and hugged him tighter as the tears flowed.

Hesitantly, Cat Noir put his arms around Ladybug and hugged her back. She’d been through a terrible ordeal, and she deserved whatever comfort he could give her.

Ladybug giggled through her tears. “You’re purring, kitty.”

Cat Noir flushed. That was a reaction he had almost no control over. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s the best sound I’ve heard all day.” Ladybug gave him a final squeeze, then (reluctantly, he thought) let him go and wiped her eyes. “We need to find the Nightmare. If we can catch the akuma, maybe the others will wake up.” She stood up, and Cat Noir followed. “Let’s go.”

***********************************

Cat Noir poked his head into the Metro tunnel, listening for passing trains. “Nothing. It’s safe.” He led the way down the tunnel towards the station.

Ladybug followed, keeping as close to Cat Noir (Adrien? Her dream had said so, and she saw no reason to disbelieve it) as possible. After the worst nightmare she had ever had- and she’d had a few doozies since she’d taken on her miraculous- she was reluctant to stray far from her partner. The last bit, after Adrien had left through her tattoo, had been so lonely- now that Ladybug was awake, she knew it had only been a minute or two. But in the dream realm, time was stretched in odd ways, and it had felt like an hour before the ruins of Paris faded from her sight and she woke up in Cat Noir’s arms.

Ladybug shivered, remembering her nightmare. The terror of being hunted by dream-Hawkmoth and his minions, the fear when she discovered her powers were gone, the guilt when she saw the graffiti and heard dream-Chloe’s accusations- grief and horror for those who were dead or akumatized. She vowed to herself again to do everything in her power to prevent anything like that from happening to Paris.

They had reached the steps up to the Metro platform when Cat Noir stopped. Ladybug was about to ask what was wrong, but he held up a hand for silence.

A voice came out of everywhere and nowhere, and sent a frission up Ladybug’s spine. She knew that voice.  _ “come out, come out, little kitty. i know you brought her down here; you can’t save her, but i can. just come to me, and give me your miraculous, and she will wake up…” _

Ladybug heard a footstep on the near platform. So did Cat Noir; he breathed the word “cataclysm”, and his right hand began to shed small dots of black power. He eased up the steps, as silent as his namesake.

Suddenly the Nightmare loomed in front of them, reaching for Cat Noir’s face. He brought his darkly glowing hand down on the gauntlet, but it was mutual annihilation- Cat Noir crumpled and fell back down the steps as Ladybug barely caught him, a silver spiderweb tattoo blooming on his jawline. The Nightmare’s gauntlet dissolved into dust, and a black butterfly fluttered out.

Ladybug set a shaking, unconscious Cat Noir back down on the steps and whipped out her yoyo. This was one akuma she dared not let get away. The Nightmare was screaming, demanding to know how she could be awake, but she had no time to answer. She de-evilized the butterfly, and set it free.

The Nightmare shivered all over as the power dispersed from her. She was a twenty-something year old woman, with short brown hair and a look of deep depression, mixed with the natural confusion of finding herself in an unfamiliar place.

Normally, Ladybug would have gotten the victim’s story out of them (if she didn’t know it already), but right now she had other priorities. She picked Cat Noir up in a fireman’s carry across her shoulders, as a pair of police officers came down the Metro steps from the street. 

One approached Ladybug; the other went to the girl. “We saw the white butterfly leaving the station, and knew you had something to do with it, Ladybug.” He glanced at the girl next to his partner. “Was she- the Nightmare?”

“Yes,” Ladybug replied shortly. “Can you take care of her? I have to go- Cat Noir was hurt stopping the Nightmare.” Not entirely true, but not quite a lie, either.

This was an educated officer, though. “Won’t your lucky charm fix everyone, including Cat Noir?”

“It would, if I’d used it. This was all Cat, though; he took down the Nightmare, but he got injured in the process. I have to help him first; then I can figure out how to help the others.” Cat Noir’s miraculous sounded; how many times had it beeped and she hadn’t noticed? A look at his hand showed two pads gone; she had to hurry. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

Ladybug raced up the Metro steps, into the night. She couldn’t use her yoyo while carrying Cat Noir, and she never could jump quite as high as he could; it took her three bounds to get to the rooftops, then she was running for a safe place for him to detransform. 

The closest place Ladybug felt safe was Marinette’s balcony. After the Weredad incident, Marinette had installed a lock on the trap door, although she only used it when she was actually on the balcony and didn’t want to be disturbed. Ladybug set Cat Noir down on the sling chair, turned off the balcony lights for privacy, and locked the trap door in case her parents heard and got curious.

Cat Noir was ghost-white under his mask, still shaking slightly, and making small noises of distress. His miraculous beeped a final time, and a crackle of green energy raced over him, turning him back into Adrien. His kwami, Plagg, settled on his stomach, twitching and moaning a little in sleep.

Ladybug looked closely at Plagg. He didn’t have the silver tattoo that still graced Adrien’s face, but he didn’t look like he’d wake up any time soon. She hoped that solving Adrien’s problems would help Plagg too.

No help for it. Their best hope was in her special power. She set herself and called, “Lucky Charm!”

A small tube fell into her hand. Lip gloss? How would that help?

Ladybug realized it didn’t have to- she could just toss it in the air with a “Miraculous Ladybug!”, and all the damage the akuma had caused would be fixed. But the Lucky Charm always had a purpose. She looked around for clues.

The silver tattoo on Adrien’s jaw seemed to glow slightly, and she knew what to do, although not why. Ladybug applied a touch of the lip gloss to her lips, and kissed Adrien on the jaw, right on the tattoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but we'll see what's in Adrien's head shortly.
> 
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos; they are very much appreciated.


	5. Prison of the Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug enters Adrien's nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

Ladybug fell into a house, landing hard on the foyer floor. “Ow…” she muttered to herself.

As she sat up, she realized she recognized this house; it was the Agreste mansion. She had been here a few times as Ladybug, and once or twice as Marinette. Looking down at herself, she realized she was the same mix of Marinette and Ladybug that she had been in her own nightmare, although this felt…less real… than her own dream.  _ Maybe it’s because this isn’t my mind,  _ Marinette reflected.  _ I wonder if Adrien is having as hard a time as I did telling dream from reality... _

A terrified cry of “Father!” put an end to her musings. Marinette raced up the stairs to where she knew Adrien’s room was. She burst through the door-

To see Adrien in a cage in the middle of his room, and his father standing well out of arm’s reach outside it. “I’m sorry, Adrien,” Mr. Agreste was saying (and not sounding sorry at all). “You need to be protected from a hostile world; you will remain here. Forever.” He turned and walked toward the door.

“Father, no!  _ Please!! _ ” Adrien’s plea and outstretched arm had no effect; his father didn’t hesitate for even a second as he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Adrien was half-Cat Noir, as he had been in Marinette’s dream, but he didn’t seem aware of the fact this time. He frantically tried to scale the bars of his cage, looking for a way out.

Then a noise came to the window, and Marinette saw a version of herself as Ladybug. She remembered the fight with Sandboy, where Cat Noir’s nightmare had been an evil version of herself- was this the same?

The faux-Ladybug smirked at a suddenly-still Adrien. “Well, now you’re just as useless as I always thought you were. I don’t need you, and I’ll never love you. Who could? You’re trapped here.” She laughed mockingly and swung away.

Adrien dropped to the middle of his cage and sat curled into a ball. Marinette blinked- was the cage shrinking?

She ran over to the cage. Sure enough, it was smaller than it had been even a few minutes ago. She hadn’t realized Adrien had a fear of being confined, much less that it was so intense. 

“Adrien?” Marinette reached through the bars, trying to get to him. “Adrien, please…look at me…”

Adrien didn’t react to her; he was rocking back and forth, tears streaming down his face. He seemed to be whispering to himself, though Marinette couldn’t quite make it out.

She looked around for something that could bring him into arm’s reach, but found nothing. Then she thought of her yoyo, which was still on her hip. Marinette unhooked it, spun it for a second, and gently threw it around Adrien.

He reacted to that, all right- badly. Adrien started, wild-eyed, and threw the yoyo string off, then rushed the cage wall, slamming into it right in front of Marinette. She ducked and rolled onto the floor as Adrien made a grab for her through the bars. “Adrien, it’s me! Marinette! I came to help you!” she shouted.

Adrien’s wide-eyed, irrational stare faded slowly. He blinked, once, then twice, then sank to his knees. “Marinette- I’m sorry- I-“ He leaned against the bars hopelessly. “This is a nightmare…”

Marinette took a deep breath. “Exactly. This is  your nightmare. The Nightmare managed one last victim before you destroyed her gauntlet- you.” She gave a shaky laugh as she sat up. “I guess I should’ve known better- if you’re afraid of being trapped, I shouldn’t’ve wrapped you in my yoyo string to get your attention. I’m sorry.”

Adrien sighed. “The Nightmare was here first, taunting me, but she left. Then- it was horrible- my mother came, and said she left our family because of me, and what a disappointing son I am. Then my own father caged me, to ‘protect’ me-” Marinette could hear the air quotes around the word ‘protect’ in Adrien’s voice- “and Ladybug....“ He dropped his head.

“None of it is true- you know that.” Marinette’s heart broke for Adrien. “Your mother loves you- every picture I’ve seen of her is someone who can only love you. She’d never be disappointed in you.” She crawled to the cage and grabbed Adrien’s clawed hand through the bars. “Your father may restrict your life, but he would never really cage you, I’m sure of it. Besides, kitty,” she laughed a little, ”you could get out any time you wanted- no one can cage you!” Marinette looked deep into Adrien’s pained green eyes. “And I will always need you. I couldn’t be Ladybug without Cat Noir, and I can’t imagine anyone else being Cat. And- I love you, Adrien. If nothing else, please know that.” She tried to keep the tears back, too, but didn’t quite succeed; two escaped to run down her cheeks.

Adrien smiled at her, that heart-melting smile she had seen the first time in the rain, as he handed her an umbrella. “I know that. Just like I love you.” He looked around at the bars of his cage.” I know there’s a way out, but I can’t see it.”

“Neither can I. Maybe one of my screws is loose,” Marinette said, half-joking

.

Adrien sat up straight, as if stung by a bee. “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Marinette was mystified.

“You said ‘one of my screws is loose.’”

“Hey- I said ‘maybe’!”

Adrien ignored her correction. He started inspecting the cage door, where the hinges were essentially large screws in a housing. Marinette looked closer. Sure enough, the lower one was loose. The upper one was coming free as well, but wasn’t quite as bad.

Adrien grabbed the lower hinge and yanked the screw free. The upper one took a few turns before it, too, came out, at which point the door fell open, and Adrien jumped out of the increasingly tiny box.

Marinette threw her arms around Adrien. “That was brilliant!” she laughed. “And punny!”

Quiet amazement filled Adrien’s face. “I can’t believe that worked.”

Marinette looked him in the eyes. “Of course you believed it. That’s  _ why _ it worked.” She took his face in her hands, one red thumb resting on his tattoo. “Remember what you told me? This is  your mind. What you believe, happens here. The Nightmare may have set up the circumstances by drawing on your worst fears, but  you’re the one who is in control.”

_ “are you sure of that? i’m still here; i’ll always be here,” _ came that voice out of nowhere. Standing at the door was the familiar, hateful shape of the Nightmare.

Adrien pulled out his staff, and extended it to fencing length. ‘No, you won’t.” He advanced on the shadow at the door, green eyes blazing. “You’re already beaten.”

The Nightmare produced a blade of her own, and attacked.

Even with as limited experience as Marinette had with fencing, she could tell that the Nightmare was outmatched. Soon Adrien had the Nightmare on the ground, staff pointed at her throat and shadow-blade in his other hand. “Go. Now.” he said flatly.

The Nightmare broke into fog, drifting away. The shadow-blade did the same.

Adrien relaxed, breathing deeply. Then he smiled at Marinette. “I guess we know how this works, now.”

Marinette smiled back and walked up to him. “I’ll see you soon,” she promised, and kissed the tattoo on Adrien’s jaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's time to wake up...or is it?
> 
> Thank you for the comments/ kudos/ remarks/ general approval. I truly appreciate it.


	6. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nightmare is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters belong to ZAG and Thomas Astruc.

Ladybug woke to the beeping of her earrings. Looking at Adrien, she confirmed that his tattoo had vanished. She looked over at Plagg, still asleep, but calm enough to have a rumbling tummy.

She had no idea how many spots she had left; she couldn’t delay any longer. Ladybug tossed the tube of lip gloss into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

The magic ladybugs swirled around Adrien and Plagg, then left in the direction of the hospital. A few spiraled away to parts unknown; perhaps there were more victims or damage than people knew about.

Ladybug watched Adrien, waiting for him to wake up. Her earrings beeped a final time, and she detransformed back to Marinette, and still he hadn’t awakened. She fumbled a macaron out of her purse for Tikki, who thanked her quietly and flew off to join Plagg.

Plagg was just starting to come around. He looked at Marinette. “Wouldn’t happen to have any cheese, would you?”

Marinette shook her head, blinking back tears. How come the ladybugs had failed?  _ Adrien should’ve awakened by now… _ She took his head in her hands, as she had done in his nightmare, and kissed him on the lips as gently as she could. Then she put her head down on his chest, and let the tears leak out.

A hand began to stroke her hair. Her eyes popped open, and she jerked her head up to see Adrien gazing softly back at her.

“The ladybugs did work, you know,” he said. “I was almost awake when you kissed me.” He smiled. “Nice way to wake up.”

Marinette laughed, dashing the last of the tears from her eyes.

“Here.” Adrien sat up on the chair. “Let me get Plagg some cheese, so I don’t have to explain to your dad what I’m doing on your balcony.” He thought for a second. “Again.” He dug into his shirt, pulling out a chunk of camembert; Plagg swooped over and grabbed it, swallowing it whole.

Marinette stared at Plagg. “Do you even  _ taste _ it?”

“Of course! It’s wonderful!” Plagg replied, and flew back to Tikki, who was still working on her macaron.

Adrien laughed. “He’ll be fine in a few minutes. I just hope your parents don’t come up.”

“They won’t. Even if they didn’t think I was out at the Louvre, I put a lock on the trap door.” 

Marinette sat on the floor of the balcony; Adrien came out of the chair to join her. They both stared into the night for a long while, his arm around her shoulders, hers around his waist.

Finally Adrien spoke. “So… now that we know about each other…now what?”

Marinette thought for a minute. “I don’t know. But until we talk to Master Fu, I’m not going to worry about it. You know what I learned tonight?”

“That we’re stronger together, as usual?”

“No. That we are even better matched than I thought. We love and encourage each other even more, now that we know. And that’s a good thing.” She sobered. “But we can’t let anyone guess that we- that Ladybug and Cat Noir- mean any more than friends to each other. You know what Hawkmoth would do if he found out.” Marinette glanced at Adrien, who was trying not to look disappointed. “But there’s nothing wrong with Marinette and Adrien being together- if you want.”

Adrien smiled, his good cheer restored. “I would love that more than anything,” he said.

Marinette gave his waist a squeeze, and stood up. “And if we’re going to make it through the day at school tomorrow, we need to get some real sleep.”

Adrien sighed. “I guess so. Plagg, claws out!”

The green energy raced around him again, and Cat Noir stood on the balcony. He held a hand out to Marinette. “Give you a lift to your front door, princess?”

She snorted as she unlocked the trap door. “Princess?”

“Sure. You were awakened with a kiss, weren’t you?” Cat Noir grinned at his joke.

Marinette rolled her eyes, but smiled and took his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end of it. Thank you, those of you who saw this through.
> 
> This was inspired by a thought of how much Ladybug missed the real significance of Cat Noir's nightmare. She thought he dreamed her as evil; he actually dreamed of her calling him useless. Which I personally never thought Cat Noir was- I always thought he had a purpose, but until then, 'they also serve who stand and wait', as the saying goes. And that thought inspired another story, 'An Issue of Blood', which I will hopefully post as soon as it comes out of beta. Meanwhile, there are a couple of short stories that will come out soon.
> 
> As always, comments/ thoughts/ random neural firings about this story are welcome.

**Author's Note:**

> And as a belated birthday present from me to you, I give you my Halloween kickoff fic. While this won't be the only one with a Halloween theme I post this month, it will probably be the longest.
> 
> This idea came from a crazy question my subconscious asked one night while working on my previous story. Hope you enjoy it as much as the first.


End file.
